Apparatus for raising sunken vessels.



O. M. WICK.

APPARATUS FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED 00129, 19I4.

' Patnted Jan. 11, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

am WAM l/.I II/IIIII-ll oLuMBI/I PLANoaRAPH ccI.,wAsI-IING10N. n. c.

0. M. WICK.

APPARATUS Foa RAlslNG suNKEN vEssELs.

APPLICATION FILED OCT29| |914. 1,168,040 Patented. Jan. 11, 1916.

flllllllllml caLuMBlA PLANDURAPH co., WASHINGTON, D. c.

OLAF M. WICK, or JAMnsTowN, NORTH DAKOTA.

APPARATUS FOR RAISINGr SUNKEN VESSELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedJan. 11, 1916.

Application filed October 29, 1914. Serial No. 869,282.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, OLAF M. WICK, a citizen of the United States, residing 'at Jamestown, in the county of Stutsman and State of North Dakota, have invented cer.

tain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Raising Sunken Vessels, of which the following 1s a specification.

The invention has for an object to give a y new device for raising sunken vessels which will be cheap to produce, yet eiiicient in operation, and which may be adjusted upon ships of various sizes and forms without change in structure.

A further object is to enable the rapid adjustment of the device upon vessels below the depth at which divers may Operate.

A further purpose is to present an efficient means of adjusting a sectional fabric covering and securing the same upon a'sunken vessel.

Additional objects, advantages and fea* tures of invention will appear from the construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter set forth, vand shown in the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of Aa vessel upon which my invention has been engaged, for raising thereof. Fig. 2 is a detail of the connections between the attaching cable and the buoy bag. Fig. 3 is a detail of the connections between the bag sections. Fig. 4 is a detail of the winch mechanism. Fig. 5 is a cross section of a vessel being raised. Fig. 6 is a detail plan of the connection between the sections. Fig. 7 is a detail' of the 4valve 27. Fig. 8 illustrates an arrangement for guiding vent pipes at great depths.

There is illustrated a ship hull 10 of ordinary form, upon which there is engaged a buo in device com risinO a art of m invention, the main part of which is a baglike covering 11 for the ship, which I term a buoy bag, formed of a suitable fabric or webbing adapted to hold air thereunder, under pressure by displaced water at the depths where the device is to be used. The bag is so constructed that it may cover the superstructure of a vessel as far as need be, with means for securing it to a cable 12 which may be drawn snugly about the lower part of the hull beneath the bilge, `or beneath overhanging portions of the hull so as to prevent its being slipped upward.

The bag 11 is in three sections, the stern section 13, the midship section 14 and the bow section. 15. The midship section is of a length to extend over the major part of the ship to be raised, and the other sections are shaped suitably to approximate the forms of the respectivevportions of the ship to which they are applied, although they do not require to be accurately fitted. rllhe sections are so formed that when assembled the bag will form a suitable chamber for holding air to be pumped thereinto as will be described, and its lower edge will be approximately horizontal, and held close against the sides of the hull by the cable 12.

Along the lower edge of each section of the bag inner and outer plates 16 and 17 are secured, closely spaced longitudinally and clamped against the fabric by `connecting rivets or bolts. The outer plates are provided with numerous hooks 18 at their lowerl edges having long` upwardly extending bills in which the cable 12 rests, and in which it is retained by keeper springs 19 of `familiar construction, adapted to be depressed to release the cable for removal from the hook. The bag sections are in the present instance formed of several layers of cotton fabric which may be treated `in any desirable way to increase its imperviousness to water. The midship section requires no special tting and comprises substantially a plain sheet of rectangular form. The stern and bow sections, however, are closed at their puter parts, forming hood-like elements, the lower edges of which continue from one side to the other on a horizontal line when in place, and their inner, upwardly extending edges are of a length corresponding to the width of the midship section. The meeting edges of the sections are overlapped and clamped together by opposed plates 2O disposed o-n opposite sides of the joint and having suitableA connecting rods 21 therebetween by which they are drawn together upon the interposed fabric of the overlapped edges. The several layers of'fabric'may be stitched to prevent raveling, and when the sections are brought together they are overlapped a distance to adapt the bag to fit the ship -longitudinally. The securing plates 20 may be tion and having a plurality of longitudinally spaced headed screws 22. The con- -necting rods 21 are formed with transverse slots 23, opening on one edge so that they may be engaged around the bolts by sliding movement, and disengaged by reverse movement. The slots at one or both ends of the rods are inclined inwardly toward their inner ends so that as the rods are forced upon the bolts the plates are drawn together. IVhen suiciently tightened, the screws may be turned to bind and secure the rods. In order to make the hold of the plates upon the canvas secure, a round rod 24 is disposed at the inner side of the overlapped edges, and the plates pressed downwardly thereover, so that a loop of the fabric is formed, projected upwardly between the plates, which are then brought together to engage the fabric under the rod 2a on opposite sides of the loop. rlfhe rods 21 are bowed outwardly, in order to accommodate the looped fabric thereunder. Centrally of the midship section an air supply connection 25 is provided, from which a supply pipe 26 may be extended to a compressor of suitable construction not shown. A check valve 27 of suitable constructio-n is provided as a part of the connection 25, whereby ingress of air from the pipe 26 will be permitted and its escape prevented. Two water outlet pipes 28 are provided, connected to suitable outlet pieces 29 secured centrally of the midshipv section and spaced longitudinaly from the inlet connection 25. These pipes 28 may be of flexible construction and are intended to be inserted through hatches or other openings in the superstructure of the vessel and their extremities disposed as near the bottom of the hull as possible. These pipes afford an outlet for water in the hull and bag when air is supplied through the pipe 2G, insuring the displacement of considerable water from the hull itself, and adding greatly to the capacity of buoyance.

The stern and bow sections at their lower parts are provided with metallic facing plates 30, whereby abrasion of the fabric upon the angular portions of the vessel at these parts is obviated. For the tightening of. the cable 12, a winch device 31 is provided, consisting of a suitable frame adapted to fit against the bow of a ship, carrying a drum 32 to which the ends of the cable 12 are attached after being passed around the hull. The winch may be operated in any customary manner and is provided with any suitable ratchet and pawl to hold the cable taut. It may be operated by means of a cable 33, wound upon the drum 32 sufliciently to take up the cable 12 to a proper degree. Anchor rings 34 are carried by the plates 30, and in practice, when a vessel is to be raised, respective cables 35 are attached to these rings and run through blocks 36 attached to anchors 37 which are dropped adjacent the ends of the hull to be raised, and by means of which the bag may be drawn into approximate position. After the cable 12 is tightened around the. hull, the cables 35 are held taut until the desired buoyancy is imparted, when they are paid out equally, so as to insure the hull remaining on an even keel while being raised.

In use, the location of the hull having been determined and the bag 11 having been adjusted to the proper size, the anchors 37 are dropped to a position adjacent respective ends of the hull and as nearly as possible on a line with its keel, the bag with the cable 12 loosened to the maximum dropped overboard and drawn downwardly over the hull. The plates 20 are resilient and hold the bag distended sufficiently to clear the sides of the hull, and when lowered to the proper degree, the cable 33 is operated to draw the cable 12 taut, bringing1 the sides of the bag close against the hull and holding it against lifting when air is supplied. When the hull is at a depth where divers may operate, their assistance may of course be availed of to adjust the bag in position, and the proper disposition of the pipes 28 may also be assured by them. Where the vessel is at a great depth, however, it may not be possible to assure the proper disposition of the pipes 28. It will be possible, however, without their function to raise a vessel sufliciently to be moved to shallow water, where a readjustment'of the device may be made with the assistance of divers, if necessary.

A safety valve 38 is incorporated in the upper part of the midship section adapted to relieve pressure in the bag in case this vis found necessary. This device may be automatic in order to allow for expansion of the air as lesser depths are reached by a vessel being raised, and may also have a mechanical release operated by a cord 39. The details of the valve are not shown, as devices suitable forthis use are well known.

It will be apparent that a method of raising ships is presented adapted to be carried out with great simplicity and despatch, while a means for putting the method into execution is embodied which may be produced at a low cost, and will operate eiiiciently.

In assuring the adjustment of the vent pipe 28 properly in the hold of a vessel submerged at depth too great for divers to operate, a weighted cable 40 may be used to locate openings in a vessel which if necessary may be artificially made by means of eXplosives, or otherwise. The cables are inserted through the tube 28 before the bag is lowered, and the tube will thus be guided into whatever opening the cables may be dropped through. Such arrangement is indicated in Fig. 8.

lVhat is claimed: Y

1. A device for raising sunken vessels at great depths comprising an envelop in the shape of an inverted bag, transverse exible members fixed yon the bag having moderate stiffness, means to draw the edges of the bag inwardly, and means to conduct air to the bag.

2. A device for raising sunken vessels comprising a buoy bag constructed to engage over a vessel, means to conduct air thereto, anchor devices, pulleys thereon, cables connected to the buoy bag at respective ends, and engaged through the pulleys for engagement with a reeling device, and means to secure the bag upon a vessel.

3. In a. device of the class described a buoy bag constructed for engagement over a vessel, a cable member having slidable engagement with the bag and extending therearound for engagement around the hull of a vessel, a reeling device connected with the cable and carried by the bag and including a winding drum engaged with the said cable,

an operating cable connected with the drum and wound oppositely thereon and extended for operation as described.

l. A device for raising sunken vessels comprising a buoy bag including a plurality of transverse sections having slidably overlapped edge portions, means or clamping the overlapped edge portions together adjustably, a cable slidablyT connected to the lower edge of the bag and ciroumscribing the same, a tightening device for drawing up the cable, and air supply connections on the bag.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

@LAF M. WICK.

litnesses z JAS. L. DE NAULT, J. E. MATTISON.

Couies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. C. 

